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DJ Paul Oakenfold on Performing at Burning Man

By

David Marino-Nachison

Sep 3, 2014 9:55 am ET

Hours before he would perform for a Burning Man Festival audience of thousands in a 20-sided DJ booth suspended by a thick cable over a patch of Nevada desert, English trance DJ Paul Oakenfold preferred to discuss the event rather than himself or his music.

Oakenfold, one of dance music’s most influential DJs and producers, has performed intermittently at Burning Man since 1998. But he also attends the festival as a participant, and he’d explored the sand on bicycles well into Wednesday morning with two friends from Italy. After a 5 p.m. wake-up call, they gathered in his trailer to discuss his enthusiasm for the event, which this year drew nearly 66,000 for a week of music, art, parties and other events.